Long-Awaited First Kiss on Ugly Betty

The writing was already on the wall for Ugly Betty after ABC moved it on Fridays this season and then moved it back on Wednesdays with its ratings continuing to free fall. So it was nice that ABC gave the cast and crew enough advance warning on their inevitable cancellation in order for them to fashion an appropriate ending for the show and its characters.

Already this season has shown its titular character undergoing quite a transformation dressing a bit more fashionably, sporting better hair, and in next week's episode the braces are finally (FINALLY!) coming off. Other story lines such as Hilda's getting engaged to a high school love, Wilhemina trying to figure out what she really wants out of life, and Claire reuniting with her long lost son are par for the course and are quite entertaining by themselves. But there was one question long time fans have been wanting answered since episode one: Will Justin ever come out?

It was clear from the get go that Justin was gay, but due to his age, the show decided to wisely not focus too much on his sexuality as much as they focused on his "uniqueness." The adults in his life, from his family in Brooklyn to his very much out mentor Marc, for their part, didn't try to push him and instead gave him plenty of support.

With the show ending, the writers admit they had to fast track Justin's storyline and with only a handful of episodes left, Justin took a big step in tonight's episode. Caught up in a love triangle over a girl he "liked" with a guy "friend" he constantly talked about, the episode couldn't have ended in a more predictable and yet very satisfactory way...


And yet it was quite nice that after The First Kiss, Justin didn't suddenly declare himself the next Adam Lambert. He was shocked. He was confused. He went home and was then comforted by his mom's words (not to him):

Somehow you got it in your head that this is your story. You've got to let that go. You've got to come up with a whole new story for yourself. You are who you are. And the sooner you are okay with that, the sooner that you see what I see, the happier you're going to be. I swear to God.

Amen. I do hope the writers don't end Justin's storyline there. I don't think they'd just leave it hanging, so I'm looking forward to seeing where they go from here. Then again, next week I'm just excited to see Betty sans the braces. God, aren't you?